Woodstock
The skinny white ash trees, just a few feet tall, are likely about two decades old, said Jon Bouton, who led a free winter tree identification workshop Saturday at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. The retired Windsor County Forester pointed out the places deer had nibbled, year after year, forcing the remaining buds to grow out at funny angles, in an effort to send out another leader.
And the little spruce a few steps away? A quick assessment by a workshop participant put the age of the shoulder-height conifer also at about 20 or 25 years old.
Trees are good at waiting, said Bouton, who’s seen them sprout up when surrounding growth is removed. They have the ability “to hang in there” and then respond.
Bouton plays a role the park’s forest management plan and leads workshops there on a volunteer basis. Yesterday’s three-hour event attracted 35 people, a big turnout by winter outing standards.
“Holy moly!” Bouton had said when he arrived, taking in the standing-room-only crowd gathered in the park’s cozy Forest Center. Being a few minutes late, he apologized for his tardiness.
“You guys are extremely patient,” he noted. But with the temperature hovering at 10 degrees, no one appeared to be in a hurry to venture outdoors.
Considering the size of the group, and the weather, Bouton quickly recalibrated his plan, swapping some of the time he’d planned to be outside for indoor instruction. He gave a brief, but appreciative, overview of the history of stewardship on the property, and a talk illustrated by slides — photographs and drawings of branches, bark and buds, with tips on using them to recognize some of the trees common to local forests.
He also outlined the benefits of such skills. People cutting firewood can choose less resinous species, and those with higher BTUs per pound. Backyard birdwatchers might nurture certain trees, for their attractiveness to migratory birds. And knowing the difference between various types of maples would surely prove useful for prospective sugar makers. (A clue is in the buds: sugar maples’ are pointed and brown; red maples’ are red, with blunt ends.)
Armed with that information, the crowd suited up and followed Bouton out into the cold, many on snowshoes. But considering the variety of trees the park boasts, they didn’t have to walk far to find interesting specimens.
Several of the people crunching through the snow Saturday said they often identify trees based on their leaves and were looking to, well, branch out.
“I know a lot of these trees, but I’m keying in on some of the winter characteristics,” said Aaron Weed, a biologist who works at the park.
Lebanon resident Lihlani Skipper has always wanted to expand on the trees she recognized from growing up in Boston, she said. And the workshop also offered a good chance to meet up with friends.
Among them were Andrew L’Roe, a Cornwall, Vt., resident with a doctorate in forest and wildlife ecology.
L’Roe will teach a winter term class on forest conservation at Middlebury College, and Bouton’s workshop will help him with the course, he said. “It’s good to have as many experts as possible refreshing you.”
After the walk, more than a dozen people stayed to eat their bagged lunches and talk with Bouton in the Forest Center, where the hot drinks provided by the park service were a hit.
The event was co-sponsored by two nonprofits that play different roles in supporting forest management in the state, Vermont Coverts and Vermont Woodlands Association. It was part of the Working Woodlands Workshops series, which continues through March at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller and St. Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, which share a management team.
The outings give people a chance to stretch their legs and learn a little bit of history and ecology, said Stephanie Kyriazis, chief of interpretation at the parks. They’re also an incentive to get out and appreciate the “beautiful Northern woods.”
For Bouton, who’s long been involved with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller, that’s what it’s all about.
t’s “just a glorious place,” he said in a telephone interview Friday. “Any excuse to get out there is a good one.”
Aimee Caruso can be reached at acaruso@vnews.com or 603-727-3210.